Mail-collecting announcer.



UNITED STATES ,PATENT OFFICE.

H'U BBARD F. ROSE, OF BINGHA'MTON, 'NEW YORK.

MAIL-:COLLECTING ANNOUNCER.

No. 9o1,48o

Sp ecificatoi of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1907.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908. Serial No. 384,146.

I To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBBARD F. RosE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Collecting Announcers, of which the following is a specification My invention relates to improvements in mail collecting annomcers.

The objects of my improvenent is to provide for each mail box an adjustable indicator or register by which the time of the collection of the mail and of the next` mail collection is correctly announced. And also for the purpose of a notice of the fact as to whether the last mail has been collected or not from the box. I attain these objects by the mechanism contained in the accompanying drawngs, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail box fitted with my appliance. Fig. 2 is a detailed cross sectional View of my appliance and the methods of Operating the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

I have the metal frame A, which is fastened to the inside of the mail box at the point K', shown in Fig. l. This frame A has two side plates the side plate L, being the 'outside plate shown in Fig. 1, and the opposite side plate L being on the inside of the mail box as shown in Fig. 2. lVithin the frame A, I have mounted 'the disk B on its pivot or axis C. On the inner side of the disk B and attachcd to the same and revolving with it, I have the ratchet wheel E as indicated in Fig. 2. I have further on the inner side of disk wheel B, the sliding pawl F sliding between 2 supports G and H, and held in connection with the small ratchet wheel E by the sustaining spring I shown in Fig. 2. Of these two supports, support G is a pivoted support and turning upon the pivot G. At the rear end of the sliding pawl F is the link connection J, the link connection J being hinged through the eyelet K in the sliding pawl F, while at the other end the link J s coupled with the staple R, which in turn is attached to the hinged door M, hinged at the point N as shown in Fig. 2.

In operation, when I wish to revolve the disk wheel B I pull open the hinged door M of the mail box which in turn draws forward the sliding pawl F until it passes the following notch O in the small ratchet wheel E. When the mail is removed, I then close back the hinged door M which pushes forward the sliding pawl F held in connection with the small ratchet wheel E by means of the curved spring I and the supports H and G, and it turns around the disk wheel B and the ratchet wheel E the space of one notch. On the inside of the disk B I have a looking pawl D pivoted on the inner plate L and which now assumes its position locked into the succeeding notch on the ratchet wheel E and thus the ratchet wheel and the disk wheel are held in a fixed position until the next opening of the door M. On the outer surface of the disk wheel B, I place the hours of the collection of the mail, l, 2, 3, 4, etc. The outside plate L of the frame A is provided with an opening Q as shown in Fig. l, which slotted opening is so located as to be opposite the hour attached to the disk wheel B on the horizontal line with the axis as shown at 3 in Fig. 2. In operation, the mail gatherer opens the door M hinged 011 the side T as shown in Fig. l which, as it is opened, pulls forward the sliding pawl F one notch on the small ratchet wheel E. Mail being taken out, the door M is again 'closed which pushes forward the sliding pawl F, which turns around the ratchet wheel and the disk the distance of one notch on the ratchet wheel E, and the next time mark on the disk wheel B is so placed that as the ratchet wheel E is turned by this closing of the hinged door M that it will bring the said time mark exactly opposite the slotted opening Q as shown in Fig. l; and thus when the gatherng of the mail is completed the time of the gathering of the next mail is clearly and distinctly announced on the box, and a sure notice is there given to the public that the mail man has gathered the mail for the previous delivery.

Having thus described my invention, what I declare as new and for which I desire Letters Patent, are as follows:

The combination with a mail box having a hinged door, a disk rotatably mounted in said receptacle and having indications thereon visible through an opening in the box, a ratchet connected to said disk, a dog engaging the ratchet to prevent backward rotation of the same, a sliding pawl having its inner end engaged with the ratchet, a link connecting the outer end of the pawl to the hingecl door and guides slidably supporting the w In testnony whe'eof I have affixed my pzwl and holding the Same in engagement Signature, in presence of two witnesses. With the ratehet, one of seid g des being HUBBARD F' ROSE statona'y and the other beng pvoted, and

a sustanng Spring forcng the pawl against VVtnesSes:

the pvoted guide and in engagement With L. M. ALBER,

the ratchet. F. R. GILBERT. 

